Senior Network Coordinator (12 Months Maternity Cover)

Responsible for: Network Coordinators in England and other staff/volunteers as required for project work

Location: Victoria Charity Centre, 11 Belgrave Road, London SW1V 1RB.

Contract: 12-month fixed-term Maternity Cover

Salary: £31,500 per annum plus £3,400 London Weighting Allowance

Hours: 35 hours per week (9.30am to 5.30pm)

About Sands

Every single day in the UK, in spite of medical advances, 15 babies are stillborn or die within the first 28 days of life.

Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, is a well-established and widely respected national charity that:

Supports anyone affected by the death of a baby through our Helpline and our 100 Groups nationwide across the 4 devolved nations.

Works in partnership with health professionals to ensure that bereaved parents and families receive the best possible care by transforming the culture and practice of perinatal bereavement care through our accredited training programmes and resources.

Promotes changes in care that could help to reduce the loss of babies’ lives by funding high impact research projects that identify the causes of stillbirth and point to ways of reducing their incidence.

The charity has grown its income by over 40% since 2012 and, as part of its strategic plan to 2020, is focusing on how we can make the biggest difference to improving the care and support available to bereaved parents and families, and building on our success in raising awareness of the issues relating to stillbirth and neonatal death. This is an especially exciting time at Sands as we reposition to become the leading charity in the sector.

About the role

A strength of Sands is the network of over 100 Groups around the UK. Many retain a large degree of autonomy in that they have their own committees, fundraise locally and manage their own bank account. Sands Groups offer support to anyone affected by the death of a baby, work closely with their local hospitals to ensure the best possible care is provided and promote awareness and the work of Sands nationally.

With over 100 Groups around the UK it is essential that we maintain good communication between the Groups and UK Sands, and provide effective support, motivation and guidance for Groups. To assist with this we have created 10 Networks, each with a Coordinator who has responsibility for a number of Groups. The Groups Team is managed by the Networks and Volunteering Manager, and also consists of the Groups and Training Coordinator, Befriender Training Coordinator, and the Networks & Volunteering Administrator.

Working closely with the Networks & Volunteering Manager, the Senior Network Coordinator post will have delegated responsibility for the 7 English Networks and will contribute to our overall strategy of developing and enhancing the Network structure. We are taking the Groups through several large processes of change, including in fundraising, finances, and collecting and storing data. The post holder will play a pivotal role in managing these change processes, as well as helping to devise and deliver a wider volunteering strategy for Sands.

This is a fixed term role for 12 months to cover maternity leave.

This is a challenging role that will offer someone with proven staff management experience the opportunity to develop and enhance their management skills, and build a portfolio of change management experience, while making a real difference within the charity. Travel and weekend work will be necessary, including the occasional overnight stay.

How to apply

Please return the completed application form to recruitment@sands.org.uk by the closing date below. Please also complete the Diversity and Equality Monitoring Form and send this with your application.

As we have limited staff resources we are unable to provide candidates with feedback about their applications. Interviews will be held at: Victoria Charity Centre, Ground Floor, 11 Belgrave Road, London, SW1V 1RB. Telephone: 020 7436 7940.